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Moderators, I'm not familiar with your forum so please help me out if anything moved or changed.

My name is Tyler, I'm a cousin of missing hiker Jessica Garcia. The below article pretty much says it all

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YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK -- A search team is looking for a park employee who disappeared after an orientation meeting Saturday. Jessica Rose Garcia, 23, last was seen at 11:30 a.m. walking east along Forest Drive after leaving orientation at the Wawona Hotel, where she was scheduled to begin work Sunday, according to Yosemite National Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb.
Park rangers checked Garcia's park residence when she did not come to work and found it empty, Cobb said.

Garcia last was seen dressed in her work uniform, a dark green polo shirt and dark green jacket, black slacks and black loafers.
Garcia is Latina, 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs about 170 pounds and has shoulder length black hair and brown eyes.
Garcia is fit and hikes regularly. She is described as shy and reserved around strangers, Cobb said.
Search-and-rescue teams include six dog teams, the park helicopter, rangers on horseback and 23 rangers on foot, Cobb said. The search area includes the South Fork of the Merced River and in and around the Wawona area.
Anyone with information about Garcia's whereabouts is asked to call the Wawona Ranger Station at (209) 375-9520 or Yosemite dispatch at (209) 379-1992.

I think "missing hiker" is just how they described her". She was new to Wawona and from what I understand was starting her first day of work on Sunday. I don't know if she had worked elsewhere in the park and was transferring to Wawona. They haven't said what she was up to because I don't think that they know in regards to what she was doing when she went missing. Hiking, going to town, going site seeing, whatever..

They have had a helicopter up today and yesterday. Plus dogs and people out searching around Wawona and along the river. They are putting in a fairly big effort.

It must be hard for the family. My prayers go out to the searchers and the family and to Jessica.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK -- Update: According to KXTV in Sacramento and a Facebook page started by her family, missing Yosemite National Park employee Jessica Rose Garcia has been found alive.
According to the KXTV report, Yosemite National Park officials said rescue personnel were going to use a helicopter to airlift Garcia from the scene due to the rugged terrain in which she was found.
Yosemite officials told KXTV Garcia had sustained minor injuries, but was otherwise safe and well.

Jessica Rose Garcia, a Yosemite National Park employee, has been missing since this weekend. (Courtesy of Yosemite National Park)
Yosemite National Park news release
More on the story soon.

The Facebook page says she was last seen saturday at noon. So that potentially means 3 nights out with a fractured pelvis and femur. Wow.. that would be hard. Must be a tough lady. I wonder where she was on the south fork. I heard a heli up there for quite awhile yesterday and today.

Thank you so much for the support, it truly means a lot. I don't think Jessica or the family has seen this thread. She is currently in the hospital doing well, she spoke with her mother earlier today when she reached the hospital. Her mother should be there with her now.

On a personal note
I have done several hikes in Yosemite, I primarily work the Merced river/half dome trails, wawona was completely new to me. I can say I was a little upset when I saw how thick the forest was... I knew she was alone, I knew the chopper wouldn't see her, and although I kept it to myself I was pretty sure she was seriously hurt or dead. Meeting the staff working on finding her was the most assuring experience, they insisted she would be found alive. The only concern I had was that they were searching a 25-30 mile radius and I just knew she was really only 5-10 miles away.

Jessica is tough as nails, she went through 3 very long nights. Investigators found a receipt just before the hike showing that she had bought a bottle of water and a candy bar. We believe this is what she took on the hike. I find it miraculous she made it out just fine.

Jessica worked all summer in Yosemite valley. I believe she postponed another semester of school in SF to continue working there in wawona. She was always a city girl, but this summer she fell in love with Yosemite. Yosemite has a special place in my heart, I would hope she continues what seems to be her passion, which is Yosemite, and walk away from this ordeal and taking it as a learning experience and an opportunity to give more respect to that land. Its my hope she returns, if she doesn't I understand, who knows what she had running through her mind those nights.

I would like to thank the 50+ men and women and all the hikers in the area for looking for her. I''d like to thank the various sheriffs dept. off the top of my head Merced, Mariposa, and even Marin county responded. I don't think Jessica truly understands how many people cared. We are ecstatic to have her back. Nothing more excruciatingly difficult than seeing a wanted poster of your relative.

It turns out she suffered a spinal injury, a good portion of the family doesnt know this but paralysis is likely. We are holding back from sharing this with the media out of hope her surgery and recovery is successful, the odds are stacked against her though.

A trust fund has been established, any donations will be greatly appreciated and can be made to,

Bank of the West fbo Jessica Rose Garcia

We understand if you cant donate, but if you can share the message on her facebook page we would appreciate it very much.

You have impeccable timing Kathy, I just received a phone call from Jessica's mom, she tells me they just finished operating on her back and so far so good, they are now going to operate from the front and work on her spinal chord from there. She has about 4 hours left of her 8 hour surgery. I assume this is where it gets risky.

Hoping for a smooth recovery. It was great news to hear that she was found. Must have been scary for her....terrifying if she was wounded. We here on this site fully love the high and wild places, but I'm sure it was somewhat of a nightmare out there for her, out of her element. May peace and strength be with her and all of her friends and family today. Take care and thanks for the updates.
-Scott

Keep in mind that the medical profession likes to keep your expectations low, and they will warn you about all possible complications. Pray and work for the best outcome. They are more likely to happen for those fighting and believing in those outcomes.

We are also happy to say that members at Whitney Zone have offered to coach her to the summit of Whitney once healthy.

Neebee, I should have an answer for you shortly, she would love your gift!

Our family will be pooling its resources to help pay for as much as we can so Jessica will live a normal life without being stuck with such a massive financial burden. I've started asking for donations from The Whitney Zone and my friends at the 49ers Webzone. Your thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement have been more than enough, but if you wish to help out more you can donate to tyler@jcdstudios.net on Paypal. We've had donations as small as $10 and as large as $100.

So glad to see Jessica was found and has been strong through not only her time injured and alone, but also during her operation. Stay strong, Jessica, and best wishes for an amazing life ahead for you.

but if you wish to help out more you can donate to tyler@jcdstudios.net on Paypal. We've had donations as small as $10 and as large as $100.

-Tyler,

I have been following this thread since day one and I am glad to hear that there will be a good recovery to end this story.
Your request to help in the matter of medical costs is heard. Consider it done.
Hoping to put a little less worry on the minds of the family.

Hello, everyone. This Jessica R. Garcia. It has been a year since my accident. I was scrolling through the page on facebook and I saw this website and I thought to stop by and say hi.

I would like to say thank you for everyone's support on this forum, my cousin Tyler for dealing with the media, to any one who made donations for my recovery, and a special thank you to all the volunteers on my search and rescue.

As an update, I am currently working and living year-a-round in Yosemite Valley. I am still hiking and exploring the backcountry of Yosemite Park. I am also a volunteer for YOSAR (Yosemite Search and Rescue). I am involved in their preventive program until I finish their required training courses to participate in their actually search and rescues.

There will be another update on Abc30 News in November. Its just a clip of everything I just explain in a bit more detail.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. And once again, thank you for your support.

I was actually thinking about you when we were up there for Yosemite Facelift this year. I sort of lost track of this thread and couldn't remember if they found you. I was a bit relieved to see your missing-person's poster on the bathroom with the words "found alive" scrawled across it.

Good luck with your recovery. Very encouraging that you are up on your feet!

This forum gets many search alerts for lost hikers/climbers. Every one of them tugs at our hearts. In each case we desperately want a good outcome. Many of us I am sure feel a bit helpless if not in the area of search or able to directly help.

Each lost report comes with a deep longing for an outcome such as yours. Even after you were found but injured we hoped you would still want and be able to pursue your Yosemite dreams. Sadly our hopes are not always realized.

and so it was just a fantastic joyful moment when we heard you were found alive. Now even more of our hopes have been realized in finding you successfully pursuing such a great dream of living and working in Yosemite. Serving others who may find themselves in your situation is pretty awesome too. You are indeed a tough gal!

Wow Jessica. So glad you're doing ok. Those are tough injuries to come back from. I know as i burst l2 seven months ago and i'm still working on my recovery. Good luck to you and glad to hear you are still enjoying life in the great outdoors.

I am currently working and living year-a-round in Yosemite Valley. I am still hiking and exploring the backcountry of Yosemite Park. I am also a volunteer for YOSAR (Yosemite Search and Rescue). I am involved in their preventive program until I finish their required training courses to participate in their actually search and rescues.